Innocenti 950 Spider

["John Hertzman" <johnhertzman@domain.elided>]

 In AD8-290 Zak McGregor wrote that Innocenti also made a rather
attractive BMC-engined convertible, the 1200C, while in AD8-291 I
mentioned recollection of an Italian styled Sprite based Spider built by
Innocenti. I subsequently found my information source in an article in
issue #13 July/August 1993 of the magazine Italian Cars.

 It is a well illustrated (8 good photos) article about the Innocenti 950
Spider, saying that about 5000 were built 1960-1963 when it was replaced
by the 1100S, almost identical except for the 1098 cc engine and disk
brakes, with 2074 more built, and then in 1966 it in turn was replaced by
a coupe version of which fewer than 500 were built in two years.

 The article says that the bodies were designed by Ghia and built by OSI
(Officine Stampaggi Industiale) a Turin firm connected with Ghia which
often produced small series cars for Fiat, but which we probably know
better for the small series of Alfa 2600 DeLuxe Berlinas and also for the
Scarabeo experiment.

 An article in the current (January 2002) issue of Classic and Sports Car
about the Detroit expatriate Tom Tjarda says that his first job as a
stylist was with Ghia where he designed the Innocenti 950 and (with
Virgil Exner Jr.) the Fiat 2300 coupe. Other cars it mentions which
Tjarda did in stints at Pininfarina, Fiat, and again at Ghia include the
Ford Fiesta, Fiat 124 Spider, DeTomasso Pantera and the Rayton-Fissore
built La Forza. Tjarda may also be noteworthy as one of the few, if not
only, expatriate American stylists in Italy to have come out of a Detroit
background and Michigan education rather than from the Art Center in L.A.

 I was surprised that there were quite that many of the Innocenti Spiders
built, about 7000 for the 950 and 1100, compared to 14,300 Giulietta
Spiders plus 2,786 Spider Veloces.

John H.Raleigh, N.C.  

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